PIER 21

The Wetmore Collection

At the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 the name Bert Wetmore is synonymous with compelling photographs of immigrant children. Staff were introduced to his work in 1999 when the daughter of Immigration Officer Harry Wade visited and shared an image of her father with a group of Dutch sisters in front of the immigration desk at Pier 21.

Bert Wetmore. Image courtesy of the Ratz family.

Ethelbert Gordon Locke 'Bert' Wetmore was a photographer for The Chronicle Herald and The Halifax Herald. Wetmore died in June 1964 at the age of 61. He had been a member of the newspaper staff for 41 years. During that time he made many visits to the busy Halifax immigration shed photographing new arrivals during their first hours in Canada. He shared many of his photographs with Aileen Ratz who was the Port Receptionist of the United Church in Canada during the 1950s and 1960s. When she passed away, her great niece, Donna Ratz, and her great nephew, John Ratz, donated four scrapbooks that included these photographs among other memorabilia from her career.

This collection represents the spirit of the photographer and the brave souls seeking a new life in Canada that he captured with his camera.

It is presented with the permission of The Chronicle Herald. For permission to reproduce images from this collection please contact the library staff at library@herald.ca or (902) 426-2811 ext. 3080.

If you are in one of these pictures or if you know anyone who is, please let us know by writing to Cara MacDonald, Manager of Reference Services, at caramacdonald@pier21.ca.

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